Was the Ordeal of Prophet Jonah (AS) Divine Punishment or Spiritual Formation?

The trials faced by prophets and believers are part of the divine path of guidance: a special form of God’s attention, and in effect a dedicated classroom of the Almighty. The trials of the prophets transcend general mercy and belong among the ranks of spiritual attainment and divine favor.

وَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ص إِنَّ الْبَلَاءَ لِلظَّالِمِ As a lesson in propriety [أَدَبٌ‏] وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ as a test [امْتِحَانٌ‏] وَ لِلْأَنْبِيَاءِ دَرَجَةٌ وَ لِلْأَوْلِيَاءِ كَرَامَة
Jāmiʿ al-Akhbār (al-Shuʿayrī), p. 113

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: “Hardship and affliction are a lesson and a means of reform for the unjust, a test for the believer, a lofty rank for the prophets, and an honor and distinction for God’s friends.”

وَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِنَّ عِظَمَ الْجَزَاءِ مَعَ عِظَمِ الْبَلَاءِ وَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى إِذَا أَحَبَّ قَوْماً ابْتَلَاهُمْ فَمَنْ رَضِيَ فَلَهُ الرِّضَا وَ مَنْ سَخِطَ فَلَهُ السَّخَط
Jāmiʿ al-Akhbār (al-Shuʿayrī), p. 113

The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: “The greater the reward, the greater the affliction. When God loves a people, He tests them with affliction. Whoever is content will attain God’s pleasure, and whoever is angered will incur God’s anger.”

ٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص فِي بَيْتِ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ فِي لَيْلَتِهَا فَفَقَدَتْهُ مِنَ الْفِرَاشِ- فَدَخَلَهَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا يَدْخُلُ النِّسَاءَ- فَقَامَتْ تَطْلُبُهُ فِي جَوَانِبِ الْبَيْتِ حَتَّى انْتَهَتْ إِلَيْهِ- وَ هُوَ فِي جَانِبٍ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ قَائِمٌ- رَافِعٌ يَدَيْهِ يَبْكِي وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ «اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَنْزِعْ مِنِّي صَالِحَ مَا أَعْطَيْتَنِي أَبَداً- اللَّهُمَّ وَ لَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ أَبَداً اللَّهُمَّ لَا تُشْمِتْ بِي عَدُوّاً وَ لَا حَاسِداً أَبَداً- اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَرُدَّنِي فِي سُوءٍ اسْتَنْقَذْتَنِي مِنْهُ أَبَداً» قَالَ فَانْصَرَفَتْ أُمُّ سَلَمَةَ تَبْكِي- حَتَّى انْصَرَفَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لِبُكَائِهَا- فَقَالَ لَهَا مَا يُبْكِيكِ يَا أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ فَقَالَتْ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَ أُمِّي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَ لِمَ لَا أَبْكِي وَ أَنْتَ بِالْمَكَانِ الَّذِي أَنْتَ بِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ- قَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَ مَا تَأَخَّرَ- تَسْأَلُهُ أَنْ لَا يُشْمِتَ بِكَ عَدُوّاً أَبَداً وَ لَا حَاسِداً- وَ أَنْ لَا يَرُدَّكَ فِي سُوءٍ اسْتَنْقَذَكَ مِنْهُ أَبَداً، وَ أَنْ لَا يَنْزِعَ عَنْكَ صَالِحَ مَا أَعْطَاكَ أَبَداً- وَ أَنْ لَا يَكِلَكَ إِلَى نَفْسِكَ طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ أَبَداً- فَقَالَ يَا أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ وَ مَا يُؤْمِنُنِي- وَ إِنَّمَا وَكَلَ اللَّهُ يُونُسَ بْنَ مَتَّى إِلَى نَفْسِهِ طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ- فَكَانَ مِنْهُ مَا كَانَ.
Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 2, p. 75.

ُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الصَّلْتِ الْهَرَوِيُّ قَالَ: لَمَّا جَمَعَ الْمَأْمُونُ لِعَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى الرِّضَا ع أَهْلَ الْمَقَالاتِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ الدِّيَانَاتِ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَ النَّصَارَى وَ الْمَجُوسِ وَ الصَّابِئِينَ وَ سَائِرِ أَهْلِ الْمَقَالاتِ فَلَمْ يَقُمْ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا وَ قَدْ أَلْزَمَهُ حُجَّتَهُ كَأَنَّهُ قَدْ أُلْقِمَ حَجَراً فَقَامَ إِلَيْهِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْجَهْمِ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أَ تَقُولُ بِعِصْمَةِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ قَالَ بَلَى قَالَ فَمَا تَعْمَلُ فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ عَصى‏ آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوى‏ وَ قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ ذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغاضِباً فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ نَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ‏
وَ قَوْلِهِ فِي يُوسُفَ وَ لَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَ هَمَّ بِها وَ قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي دَاوُدَ وَ ظَنَّ داوُدُ أَنَّما فَتَنَّاهُ وَ قَوْلِهِ فِي نَبِيِّهِ مُحَمَّدٍ ص وَ تُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَ تَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَ اللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشاهُ فَقَالَ مَوْلَانَا الرِّضَا ع وَيْحَكَ يَا عَلِيُّ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَ لَا تَنْسُبْ إِلَى أَنْبِيَاءِ اللَّهِ الْفَوَاحِشَ وَ لَا تَتَأَوَّلْ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ بِرَأْيِكَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ وَ ما يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ الرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي آدَمَ ع وَ عَصى‏ آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوى‏ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ خَلَقَ آدَمَ حُجَّةً فِي أَرْضِهِ وَ خَلِيفَةً فِي بِلَادِهِ لَمْ يَخْلُقْهُ لِلْجَنَّةِ وَ كَانَتِ الْمَعْصِيَةُ مِنْ آدَمَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لَا فِي الْأَرْضِ لِتَتِمَّ مَقَادِيرُ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَلَمَّا أُهْبِطَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَ جُعِلَ حُجَّةً وَ خَلِيفَةً عُصِمَ بِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفى‏ آدَمَ وَ نُوحاً وَ آلَ إِبْراهِيمَ وَ آلَ عِمْرانَ عَلَى الْعالَمِينَ وَ أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ ذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغاضِباً فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ نَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّمَا ظَنَّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَا يُضَيِّقُ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ أَ لَا تَسْمَعُ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ أَمَّا إِذا مَا ابْتَلاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ أَيْ ضَيَّقَ عَلَيْهِ وَ لَوْ ظَنَّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ لَكَانَ قَدْ كَفَرَ وَ أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي يُوسُفَ وَ لَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَ هَمَّ بِها فَإِنَّهَا هَمَّتْ بِالْمَعْصِيَةِ وَ هَمَّ يُوسُفُ بِقَتْلِهَا إِنْ أَجْبَرَتْهُ لِعِظَمِ ...
*Al-Amālī* (al-Ṣadūq), text, p. 90

It is narrated from Imam al-Ṣādiq, peace be upon him:

One night, the Messenger of God, God’s blessings be upon him and his family, was at Umm Salama’s home. Suddenly, she found him gone from his bed. The anxiety that overtakes women came over her. She rose and searched every corner of the house, until she found the Messenger of God in one part of it, standing with his hands raised to the heavens and weeping so intensely that tears streamed down his cheeks. He was saying:

«O God, never deprive me of any good You have bestowed upon me!
O God, never leave me to myself—not even for the blink of an eye!
O God, never let an enemy or an envious person rejoice over me!
O God, never return me to the very evil from which You have delivered me!»

Umm Salama says: I too returned in tears, until the Messenger of God, God’s blessings be upon him and his family, saw me weeping and asked, “Umm Salama, why are you crying?”

I said, “May my father and mother be your ransom! How could I not weep? Though you hold such a rank before God that your past and future sins have been forgiven, you pray like this: that no enemy should rejoice over you, that you should not return to the very evil from which He delivered you, that you should not be deprived of a blessing, and that you should not be left to yourself even for a moment!”

He replied, “Umm Salama, who can make me secure? God left Jonah, son of Matthew, to himself for no more than the blink of an eye, and what happened, happened.”

Abu’l-Salt al-Harawi relates: “Al-Ma’mun summoned ʿAli ibn Musa al-Rida, peace be upon him, to a gathering where representatives of every Islamic school and of the Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, Sabian and other faiths had assembled. No one rose to speak without the Imam, peace be upon him, overcoming him with an argument, until each was left as if a stone were lodged in his throat.

“ʿAli ibn Muhammad ibn Jahm stood up and said, ‘O son of the Messenger of God! Do you consider the prophets to be infallible?’

“He replied, ‘Yes.’

“‘Then what do you make of these verses?’

“و عَصی آدم ربَّهُ فَغَوی”

“و ذا النّون إذ ذهب مُغاضِباً فظنّ أن لن نَقدِرَ علیه”

“و لقد هَمَّت به و هَمَّ بها”

“و ظنَّ داود أنَّما فتَنّاه"
"و تُخفی فی نَفسِک ما الله مُبدِیه و تَخشی الناس و الله أحقّ أن تَخشاه”

“The Imam, peace be upon him, said:

“‘Woe to you! Fear God, do not attribute indecency to the prophets, and do not interpret the Qur’an according to your own inclinations. God has said:

“و ما یعلم تأویله الا الله و الراسخون فی العلم”.

“‘He then explained the verses one by one:

“‘As for Adam: his disobedience took place in Paradise, not on earth, for he had not yet been appointed God’s vicegerent and proof on earth. When he came down to earth and assumed the station of vicegerency, his infallibility too became manifest, as God has said:

“إنَّ الله اصطفی آدم و نوحاً و آلَ ابراهیم و آلَ عمران علی العالمین”.

“‘As for Jonah: he thought his provision would not be restricted—not that God lacked power over him, for that would have been disbelief.

“‘As for Joseph: Zulaykha intended to sin; Joseph intended to kill her if she forced him—not to sin.

“‘And so he explained the other verses as well: none of them denies the prophets’ infallibility. Rather, each has an exalted meaning in its proper context, and only God and those firmly grounded in knowledge know its interpretation.’”